2004 Movie Titles
|
 |
movies central
|
2004 Movie Titles
|
|
movies central
|
 |
 Browse More Movies
|
Hidalgo
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard, Adam Alexi-Malle
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Screenplay by: John Fusco
Release Date: March 5th, 2004
Running Time: 141 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for adventure violence and some mild innuendo.
Box Office: $67,303,450 (US total)
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
|
 |
|
Tagline: Unbridled. Unbroken. Unbeaten.
Held yearly for centuries, the Ocean of Fire--a 3,000 mile survival race across the Arabian desert--was a challenge restricted to the finest Arabian horses ever bred, the purest and noblest lines, owned by the greatest royal families. In 1890, a wealthy sheik invited an American, Frank T. Hopkins, and his horse to enter the race for the first time.
During the course of his career, Hopkins was a cowboy and dispatch rider for the U.S. cavalry--and had once been billed as the greatest rider the West had ever known.
The Sheik puts his claim to the test, pitting the American cowboy and his mustang, Hidalgo, against the world's greatest Arabian horses and Bedouin riders--some of whom are determined to prevent a foreigner from finishing the race. For Frank, the Ocean of Fire becomes not only a matter of pride and honor, but a race for his very survival as he and his horse attempt the impossible.
Based on the true story of the greatest long-distance horse race ever run, "Hidalgo" is an epic action-adventure and one man's journey of personal redemption. Held yearly for centuries, the Ocean of Fire - a 3,000 mile survival race across the Arabian Desert - was a challenge restricted to the finest Arabian horses ever bred, the purest and noblest lines, owned by the greatest royal families.
In 1890, a wealthy Sheik invited an American and his horse to enter the race for the first time. Frank T. Hopkins (Mortensen) was a cowboy and dispatch rider for the US cavalry who had once been billed as the greatest rider the West had ever known. The Sheik (Sharif) would put his claim to the test, pitting the American cowboy and his mustang, Hidalgo, against the world's greatest Arabian horses and Bedouin riders - some of whom were determined to prevent the foreigner from finishing the race. For Frank, the Ocean of Fire becomes not only a matter of pride and honor, but a race for his very survival as he and his horse, Hidalgo, attempt the impossible.
“Hidalgo” is an action-adventure and one man’s journey of personal redemption. Based on the life of Frank T. Hopkins, his legend comes to life when one of the greatest riders the American west has ever known is pitted against the world’s finest Arabian horses and racers.
Onetime cowboy Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) was once billed as a living legend, but in fact the glory days for Hopkins and his beloved horse, a mustang named Hidalgo, are long past. Outcasts from their own land, Frank and Hidalgo both have something to prove when Hopkins became the first American invited to enter the Ocean of Fire, a grueling 3,000-mile survival race across punishing terrain of the Arabian Desert. With his competitors vowing victory, the race becomes not only a matter of pride and honor, but a fight for survival as they attempt the impossible.
The story of the cowboy Hopkins and his mustang, strangers in a strange land as they become the first American and non-Arabian horse to compete in the toughest endurance race the world has ever known, “Hidalgo” stars Viggo Mortensen as a man billed as the greatest distance rider the West has ever known.
About the Production
In making Touchstone Pictures’ epic motion picture “Hidalgo,” the filmmakers were excited to have a film that blended spectacular action and adventure with a story of one man’s journey of personal redemption. “I think audiences everywhere will connect with the story of Frank Hopkins,” says Casey Silver, producer of “Hidalgo.” “There’s an exciting race that frames the story, but the real race is this man’s race to find himself, to find forgiveness within himself for his transgressions – the themes are compelling.”
The story of the cowboy Hopkins and his mustang, strangers in a strange land as they become the first American and non-Arabian horse to compete in the toughest endurance race the world has ever known, “Hidalgo” stars Viggo Mortensen as a man billed as the greatest distance rider the West has ever known.
“Getting a story worth telling is always the most important thing – and sometimes, it’s a gigantic challenge,” says Silver. “But screenwriter John Fusco makes it easy. He came in, telling this story that was so important to him – it came right from his gut. I have such an appreciation for his talent and it’s an honor to be a part of telling the story he told me.”
More than fifteen years ago, Fusco discovered the kernel that would eventually grow into the film “Hidalgo.” A dedicated student of the American West, Plains Indian culture, and horses, Fusco discovered the story of Hopkins and his mustang while doing conservation work with horses of original Native American bloodlines.
“I was doing some research into the classic Indian ponies that you see in Remington and Russell sculptures, and this name kept coming up – Hopkins – who rode a famed Indian pony, named Hidalgo. Reading about them, it led me to this legendary race across the Arabian desert. There was only so much that I could find on them, but it was enough to tell me that this was an incredible story.”
Fusco, who has also written the screenplays for “Thunderheart,” “Young Guns,” “Young Guns II,” and the recent Academy Award®-nominated animated feature, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” spent about 12 years researching and writing the screenplay. He referenced 70 years of collected writings on Hopkins and Hidalgo by such noted historians as J. Frank Dobie and Dr. Ruy d’Andrade. He also drew from the oral histories of Native American elders and grassroots ranchers in Wyoming in uncovering the amazing adventure.”
Earlier this year, Fusco was awarded his second Western Heritage Award, a research prize from the National Cowboy Museum. “It’s a remarkable story. It requires digging through a lot of historical layers because it’s a real gem,” says Fusco.
“Ultimately, this is a classic hero’s journey,” says Mortensen, who plays the legendary rider. “Hopkins has to leave his familiar surroundings, and overcome, in a strange place, the obstacles and dangers in his path.
“What’s really interesting about the Ocean of Fire race is that it doesn’t really matter who wins in the end,” Mortensen continues. “It’s a question of getting through it, and what happens to a person as a result of going through that experience.”
To direct the film, Silver tapped Joe Johnston, a director who has showcased his ability to capture emotional intimacy with “October Sky,” epic vision in “Jurassic Park III,” and sheer originality with “Jumanji.” “There are very few directors with the kind of expertise and range that Joe Johnston can bring to a motion picture,” says Silver. “‘Hidalgo’ is one of those rare motion pictures that contains all of those elements, and Joe’s passion and vision has brought a great true story to life.
“I had hired him to direct ‘October Sky,’ but that was the only movie we’d worked on together,” Silver continues. “I don’t think anybody could have done a better job with that movie. I think his restraint makes him one of the most underrated American movie directors. I thought that ‘Hidalgo,’ in the wrong hands, might be jingoistic, or overly sentimental, or corny – but Joe brings a stoic sensibility. He lets the story unfold with a minimal amount of manipulation.”
“I wasn’t looking for work when Casey asked me to read the first draft of ‘Hidalgo,’ but once I started reading I couldn’t put it down,” says Johnston. “It was almost like reading a best-selling thriller. When I closed the script I knew I couldn’t say no. Opportunities like this come along once in a career, if you’re lucky. I knew that the action and set pieces, the epic scope of the story, could make a visually stunning film, but the element that appealed to me most was the simple story of this lost soul and his best friend, who happens to be a horse. At the heart of this amazing adventure is the story of this man running from himself, not knowing who he is. His ordeal by fire, this impossible 3,000 mile horse race is the catalyst for his rediscovery of who he really is and what his life means.
“In order for the story to work the audience has to care, not only about Frank Hopkins, but about his horse and the relationship that holds them together,” Johnston continues. “I was conscious of the fine line we were walking with that relationship. I wanted to make sure we never humanized the horse, made him ‘superhorse.’ In a way, that’s the easy solution, to push the believable limit of the horse’s intelligence – he could never be Trigger, or Silver, or Lassie. I think it’s more compelling to keep the two main characters within the realms of their species, because the reality you’ve set up will pay off emotionally in the end. We wanted to treat the horse as a partner, but in the way a real horseman in 1890 would do it. There's no doubt who's in charge – the horse serves the man – but theirs is a uniquely close and humane relationship.”
“Joe handled the material incredibly well,” says Mortensen. “I liked the movies he’d directed, and I liked meeting him, but it’s not until you start meeting challenges together, as a team, that you know what the movie’s going to be like. But not only was Joe a professional, but an optimistic and calm presence at all times – a very ‘can do’ sort of person. If something wasn’t working out, he calmly sat down with the team and worked it out. It inspires confidence in the actors and the crew.”
|
||||
Sitemaps, RSS Feeds & Social Networks
|
|||||||
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
||
Add this page to social networks
BlinkList
| del.icio.us
| Digg it
| Furl
| ma.gnolia
| Netvouz
| Simpy
| Spurl
| Netscape
| StumbleUpon
|
|||||||
Omar Sharif as Sheikh Riyadh and Zuleikha Robinson as Jazira in Hidalgo.